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Sunday, August 30, 2015

Trusting the Machine

I've been lovingly harassed for years by Cody's mother to try four wheeling.

"I wish you would just try it, just once," his Mom would tell me in all manner of ways and emotion. But I would shake my head and say, "No, it's not for me."

It wasn't that I denied her enjoyment or my own possible enjoyment, it was just that I wasn't really all that crazy about getting dirty, muddy, or, God forbid, hurt. That's what I told myself. But the real reason was this: I didn't want to step out of my comfort zone and try something new because ultimately I knew I WOULD enjoy it. And then what?

Well, after years of harassment, and no more opportunities or excuses to stand in the way of actually trying it, I got on.

I didn't ride the weekend of Cody's Memorial Ride because I didn't want to try something with all kinds of experienced riders watching me, putting in their two cents worth, and laughing at me. It was pride, pure and simple. That evil, dastardly sneak!

One of the biggest harassment techniques Cody's mom used was to say this, "If you would just try it, you could go to Wyoming with us and take beautiful pictures of scenery that you can never see from the road!" Ugh. That knife went deep.

But still I stalled and balked and looked for excuses not to.

This year I couldn't find an excuse. Anywhere. Believe me, I looked. We had a busy June and July planned, but August.....wide open. What a coincidence that is when Cody's mom and dad were going to be in Wyoming.

I even cheered silently when hubs said that he didn't know about towing our camper out there. My hidden smile quickly diminished when Cody's dad said, "Why don't you stay in our camper. We have plenty of room."

Ugh.

You are not helping my case here, Buddy!

Well, the long story short is, we went, I rode and........drum roll please......

I LOVED IT!

So, I have a few analogies that have been brewing in this head of mine ever since, and I hope to share them with you, but I wanted to share this one first.

The first day we got to camp, a Sunday afternoon, after driving almost two hours off the main highway on National Forest roads, I shook my head at Cody's mom and dad when I saw them. We had passed several trails along the way that looked too steep and too rocky for this girl, and I was already planning my days of reading and writing while they and my husband rode. (I had drug along a pretty packed bag with my computer, notebooks, etc. to keep me busy).

But I knew I had to try at least once to get everyone off my back, so on Sunday evening when Cody's dad said, "Well, Ronda....," I said, "Let's get this over with."

I got my lesson from Cody's dad on starting, stopping, braking, etc. but the most important thing he said to me, and which I remembered throughout the week when I was wondering how in the world I was going to get down a rocky trail was this:

"Just trust the machine."

He told me to let it do what it was designed to do. He gave me tips on standing up when the trail was bumpy, to let the steering do the work over the rocks. He reminded me how to brake and told me that if I'm fishtailing, I'm braking wrong. (It was a hard thing to do to trust the machine as I let it take me down a steep and rocky trail, but Cody's dad was right. It did the job, beautifully.)

So here's the first analogy I want to share with you.

Trust the Machine.

When I heard those words, I knew I was going to be ok. When I heard those words, I knew I was going to have the fun I knew I was going to have all along. When I heard the words, "Trust the Machine," I knew God was saying, Trust me, again, Ronda. I've got so much to show you."

So I did.

If I hadn't, I would have missed this.

So my question for you is: What's your fear? What are you afraid of trying that you know deep down you will like, but the reason you don't want to try it is because you know in trying it you will have to change?

I knew if I liked it, our boring life would not be so boring, and a little more costly. I'm already planning on buying my own machine and helmet and goggles and clothes and storage apparatus. (I hope I can get them all to match).

What are you afraid of happening if you try something new? What's the worst thing that will happen if you do? Gasp! You may like it. You may find yourself saying good-bye to a pretty mundane and boring life.

You don't have to go four wheeling in the mountains to face your doubt, but I wouldn't stop you from doing it if you had to.

The Machine has got it. The machine was designed to carry you through the hard places, over the rocky trails, into the deep waters. He's got you.

Just trust the Maker of the machine. The scenery is beautiful when you do!

My First Book!

Part one of my adult life I was a Navy wife and Mom. Part two of my life I am a now retired Navy wife, still a mom but now am a registered nurse and a grandmother. Words rattle around in my head trying to find a way out. I'm not a scholar or a theologian, and the only letters after my name are R.N. I like studying the Bible and wish I could make a living just looking up original Hebrew and Greek words. It's not my desire to change your opinion, your doctrine, or your political affiliation through this blog. I hope to get you thinking about life and its challenges in a way you hadn't looked at before. And maybe, somewhere along the way, let me introduce you to the Jesus I've come to know. All pictures are mine. Enjoy but don't use without permission.